Takashi Miike is a prolific Japanese filmmaker with over 100 films and television production credits. Now in his 60s, he is still making movies just as vibrant and outlandish as ever, often filled with grotesque violence. In 2017, he made the feature-length adaptation of Hiroaki Samura’s popular manga series, “Blade of the Immortal” (Original title: Mugen no jûninc). Miike’s samurai action film follows the immortal samurai Manji, who decides to help orphaned Rin Asano seek revenge against those who brutally killed her parents. Takuya Kimura stars in the central role of Manji whereas Hana Sugisaki plays vengeful Rin Asano. The film is available to stream on Netflix in select countries.
Spoilers Ahead
Blade of the Immortal (2017) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Takashi Miike’s “Blade of the Immortal” follows immortal fighter Manji helping Rin Asano seek vengeance for the sudden, unfortunate death of her parents. It’s a Samurai action thriller that uses fantastical elements in its continuous, absolute mayhem.
What happens in ‘Blade of the Immortal’?
“Blade of the Immortal” interconnects different parts from the lives of its two lead characters, Manji (Takuya Kimura) and Rin Asano (Hana Sugisaki) to offer a context to where they are at. The film begins in a pristine monochrome where Manji fights a bunch of swordsmen and defeats them to protect Machi (also played by Hana Sugisaki). During this intense fight, he gets brutally wounded. He feels like there is no purpose for his life anymore. Moments later, Yaobikuni (a legendary nun) notices him. She implants some sacred bloodworms into his body. They heal him and make him immortal.
About five decades later, Rin, a young daughter of a proficient samurai Kurose, hopes to enter the Mutenichi-Ryu school rather than being a stereotypical woman, limited to the chores of cooking and cleaning. Kurose appreciates Rin’s approach but his wife doesn’t. One fateful night, he gets surrounded by Kagehisa Anotsu (Sota Fukushi) and the Ittō-ryū samurai assassins, who expect him to join their society. Since Kurose does not bow down, Magatsu kills him and spares Rin. So, Rin decides to seek revenge against them and to find her mother, who vanishes into thin air after this tragedy.
Manji against the Ittō-ryū
Determined to avenge her father’s death, Rin goes on a journey by herself. Along the way, Yaobikuni leads her to find Manji in Edo and requests him to help her with her mission. He refuses her offer. Soon, she finds Sabato Kuroi (Kazuki Kitamura), an Ittō-ryū member, and sees her mother’s severed head on his shoulder, mounted almost like a trophy. As Sabato terrifies her, Manji suddenly shows up there to kill Sabato and protect her. After Sabato’s death, Magatsu Taito (Shinnosuke Mitsushima) comes for Manji and has a neck-to-neck fight which Manji ultimately wins. He returns to Kagehisa, a base of the Ittō-ryū members, to reveal Manji’s immortality.
Later, Shizuma Eiku (Ichikawa Ebizō XI), another swordsman from the Ittō-ryū, bumps into Manji but gets defeated in no time. Shizume is also cursed with eternal life and weakens his bloodworms with a poison. So, Manji tracks him down and stabs him to death. Soon, he and Rin cross paths with Makie Otono-Tachibana (Erika Toda), Kagehisa Anotsu’s loyal follower. They engage in an intense sword fight that leads to her almost defeating him. Yet, she resists her urge to kill him and questions the purpose of her life as a part of Ittō-ryū. Rin intercedes and reveals her desire to seek vengeance against Kagehisa and his assassins. Makie feels sorry for her and leaves them immediately without saying anything further.
Blade of the Immortal (2017) Movie Ending Explained:
After Makie departs, Manji tells Rin not to risk her life for him. Soon, Rin crosses paths with Kagehisa himself, who reveals a crucial detail about his past connected to an axe he earlier got hold of. Years ago, Kagehisa and Rin’s grandfathers, Takayoshi Asano and Saburō Anotsu, were competing which led to Saburō’s demise. So, Kagehisa killed Rin’s father to avenge his old man’s death. His past generations, who defended a one-time group, suffered from those in power who secluded them. Despite their differences, neither gets killed. Shortly after, Manji & Rin meet Shira (Hayato Ichihara), a Mugai-ryu member, who brings them to meet Giichi and Hyuakurin from their community for a proposal.
Shira reveals that Kagehisa is heading to Mt. Takao to enlist a dojo master. Soon, Rin encounters Shira molesting a woman and interjects to save her. Manji protects Rin from Shira’s attack and brings her back to his cottage. Later, Giichi and Hyuakarin meet Manji expecting him to honour their previous agreement to fight against the Ittō-ryū. While Manji refuses it, Rin leads on a solitary path, heartbroken hearing the blood-soaked history of her family. Kagehisa arrives at Mt. Takao and gets ambushed by Ittō-ryū’s Kagibura Habaki (Min Tanaka), who betrays him. Afterward, Manji reaches there with Makie, which leads to a battle between all sides.
Does Rin seek vengeance or stay doomed by her fate?
Toward the end, Makie sacrifices her life to protect Kagehisa. Manji kills hundreds of samurai warriors and then, brings his attention to Shira, who abducts Rin to seek revenge against Manji for their past, conflicting encounter. Manji does not pay heed to Shira’s requests and defeats him by sending him off a cliff. Meanwhile, Kagehisa fights all the men Habaki propped against him and kills him. At the end of “Blade of the Immortal” Manji and Kagehisa fight against each other.
Manji nearly defeats Kagehisa and offers Rin the final blow to kill him. As she hesitates, Kagehisa reveals that this cycle of revenge will never end. Even if Kagehisa dies, his descendants will haunt her till her death. Regardless, Rin kills him and comforts the brutally wounded Manji. Despite his injuries, he survives.
Blade of the Immortal (2017) Movie – The Final Word
“Blade of the Immortal” infuses supernatural elements in its action thriller that feels like a painstakingly orchestrated, chaotic ballet of samurai swordsmen. The central relationship between Manji and Rin resembles that of Wolverine and Laura from James Mangold’s “Logan.” Despite its splashy action sequences, the narrative analyzes the cyclical nature of revenge while staying as entertaining as any other of Miike’s works.
